or


[09/10/15 - 11:31 PM]
Development Update: Thursday, September 10
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


CANARY (ABC, New!) - Zack Estrin ("The Whispers") is developing a new drama at the Alphabet about "a woman who risks everything to help a whistleblower come forward with secret information that will impact the lives of millions." Said effort comes from ABC Studios and Momentum Television with the latter's Nick Hamm and Sabrina Eisenstadt also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


CHAMPION: THE JEFF BEEKMAN STORY (FOX, New!) - John Aboud and Michael Colton (Penguins of Madagascar) have scored a put pilot commitment from the network for a single-camera comedy which "chronicles the everyday experiences of a hyper-competitive but perpetual underdog dad presented like a sports documentary, with commentary and analysis." The project is set up at ABC Studios with Mila Kunis, Susan Curtis, Cami Curtis and Lisa Sterbakov of Orchard Farm Productions also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


CRUSADERS, THE (FOX, New!) - Actor Idris Elba and writer/director Thomas Ikimi (Legacy) are set to re-team for a new drama at the network about "an extended family of second-generation Africans living in the U.S. who specialize in locating and returning valuable objects stolen from Africa during colonial occupation." Legendary Television-based Di Bonaventura Television is behind the project with Green Door Pictures' Elba, T&T Studios' Ikimi and Di Bonaventura's Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


DOWNWARD DOG (ABC, New!) - Samm Hodges and Michael Killen have received an off-cycle pilot production order from the Alphabet for a single-camera comedy about "a woman and her dog." Legendary Television and ABC Studios are behind the project, which began as a web series produced by Animal Media Group. Mosaic Media Group's Jimmy Miller and Sam Hansen and Animal's Kathy Dziubek are also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED LENA WAITHE PROJECT (Showtime/Fox 21; W: Lena Waithe; D: Clark Johnson) - Tequan Richmond, Aisha Hinds, Alex Henderson, Sierra McClain, Olivia Dawson and Jason Weaver are the first to be cast in the drama pilot, a relevant, timely and distinctive coming-of-age story of a young African American male in which just growing up can be a matter of life and death. Richmond will play Emmett, "an attractive, young African-American teen who believes his sexual prowess is what defines him"; with Hinds as Jada, "Emmett's young, single mother"; Henderson as Kevin, "an adolescent whose childlike innocence collides with his pent up aggression"; McClain as Jerrika, "a tightly wound restaurant manager"; Dawson as "the mother of two of the main characters Brandon and Coogie"; and Weaver as Ronnie, "a street corner philosopher and a fixture in the neighborhood, who must go to extraordinary lengths to try and win back the love of his life." Production is set to begin in Chicago later this year with Elwood Reid recently added as showrunner. (Deadline.com)


URBAN COWBOY (FOX/20th/Paramount; W/D: Craig Brewer) - Nathalie Kelley ("UnREAL") and Lindsey Gort ("Impastor") are both bound for the network's modern reimagining of the 1980 movie, about star-crossed young lovers Kyle (Alfonso Herrera) and Gaby as they pursue their dreams and passions through the sweat of line dancing in honky tonks, the grime of the oil refineries and the glamour of modern Texas. Kelley will play the aforementioned Gaby, "the gorgeous, feisty, independent minded, bright and resourceful daughter of Marshall (Jim Belushi), the owner of Gilley's, a super-popular Houston honky tonk." Gort then is set as Pam, "the beautiful daughter of one of Houston's most powerful families who captures Kyle's attention." Bryana Salaz and Edward James Olmos also star. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - HBO's Bernie Madoff docudrama "The Wizard of Lies" has added Nathan Darrow (as Andrew Madoff), Kathrine Narducci (Eleanor Squillari), Steve Coulter (Martin London), Kristen Connolly (Stephanie Madoff) and Diana Henriques (herself) to the cast (Deadline.com); Vivica A. Fox has been cast as Cookie's (Taraji P. Henson) older sister on "Empire" (Deadline.com); David Slade has been tapped to direct the pilot and several more episodes of Starz's "American Gods" (Deadline.com); and Christopher Stanley will recur on "American Crime" as "a handsome and sophisticated businessman and love interest to Felicity Huffman's character" (THR.com).






  [september 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· AMERICAN CRIME (ABC)
· AMERICAN GODS (STARZ)
· CANARY (ABC)
· CHAMPION: THE JEFF BEEKMAN STORY (FOX)
· CHI, THE (SHOWTIME)
· CRUSADERS, THE (FOX)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOWNWARD DOG (ABC)
· EMPIRE (FOX)
· IMPASTOR (TV LAND)
· UNREAL (HULU)
· URBAN COWBOY (FOX)
· WHISPERS, THE (ABC)
· WIZARD OF LIES, THE (HBO)





[02/06/26 - 12:49 PM]
TBS Unveils First Superstar Guests for "Foul Play with Anthony Davis" with More A List Names to Come
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Jordan Chiles, and Rickea Jackson will kick off series premiere on Monday, April 6.

[02/06/26 - 09:16 AM]
Netflix's "Untamed" Heads to Hawaii for Season 2
Season two of the hit mystery thriller series will take place in Hawaii, as a new case brings Eric Bana's Kyle Turner to Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

[02/06/26 - 08:00 AM]
All Six Seasons of "Schitt's Creek" Arrive on HBO Max Tomorrow in the U.S.
The beloved comedy follows rich video-store magnate Johnny Rose, his soap-star wife Moira, and their two kids, son David and socialite daughter Alexis.

[02/06/26 - 07:36 AM]
Peacock Exclusively Streams "Wicked: For Good" Beginning March 20
The feature's Peacock debut will be accompanied by a sing-along version of the film and a full collection of bonus content.

[02/06/26 - 07:12 AM]
"Disaster: The Chernobyl Meltdown" Coming Soon from CNN Original Series, National Geographic International and Windfall Films
Co-produced by CNN Original Series, National Geographic EMEA and Windfall Films, the series will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, March 1 at 9:00/8:00c.

[02/06/26 - 07:01 AM]
NHL on ESPN Networks: Viewership Up Nearly 40% Year-Over-Year Through First Four Months
Through 22 games, the NHL on ESPN networks is averaging 795K viewers, +39% YoY.

[02/06/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Strangers in the Park" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A former communist militant and a "live and let live" man form an unlikely friendship on a park bench, sharing their life stories with humor and heart.

[02/06/26 - 12:31 AM]
Next on Netflix Thailand 2026: The Widest Variety of Thai Stories, All in One Place
Netflix is deepening its commitment to Thai storytelling with its most ambitious slate to date: three new series, four films, and Netflix's first local documentary feature.

[02/05/26 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Pavane" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Three lonely strangers meet at their department store jobs and find solace in each other's company while they explore connection and the nature of love.

[02/05/26 - 02:03 PM]
Great American Media Signs Exclusive Multi-Picture Deal with Fan-Favorite Actress, Merritt Patterson
The company also announces the first film of the new deal is "Meet Me in the Margins," adapted from bestselling author Melissa Ferguson's novel of the same name.

[02/05/26 - 12:42 PM]
"20/20" Ranks No. 1 in the Two-Hour Time Period Across the Board
Hitting new season highs on January 30, "20/20" grew from the previous week in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49.

[02/05/26 - 11:31 AM]
Apple Original Films Lands Global Rights to Sundance Film Festival Selection "The Last First: Winter K2"
Director Amir Bar-Lev tells a complex, harrowing and moving story that unpacks the industry of extreme mountain climbing and its changing culture.

[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
HBO Original "Murder in Glitterball City," A Two-Part Documentary, Debuts February 19
Inspired by the non-fiction book "A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City" by David Dominé, the film chronicles a 2010 murder case that starts with a 911 phone call that leads police to the gruesome discovery of a body buried in the basement of a Victorian mansion.

[02/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Video: ALLBLK Releases Trailer and Key Art for New Original Feature Film, "Deb Is Boss" Premiering Thursday, March 5
Before becoming a powerhouse music executive who launched Gucci Mane, Nicki Minaj, and French Montana, Deb Antney (Lil Mama) was a street-smart survivor navigating the dangerous underworlds of Queens, NY and Boston, MA.

[02/05/26 - 10:31 AM]
Nicolette van Dam and Bas Smit Present the Dutch Version of "Love Is Blind"
"Love Is Blind: Netherlands" arrives on Netflix in 2026.